В библиотеке Гананоке откроется выставка, посвященная 50-летию истории общности канадского и американского берегов реки Святого Лаврентия

GANANOQUE — Throughout history, the Thousand Islands have provided more than a scenic backdrop to the Canada-U.S. border. They have been a place where people from both sides of the river have lived, worked, travelled and built connections. It’s a shared history that will be explored in a new exhibit opening Thursday at the Gananoque Public Library. “Between Friends/Entre Amis: 50 Years Along the Border” will feature photographs of people and places in Gananoque and the Thousand Islands, tracing life along the border from the 1970s to the present day. The exhibit draws its inspiration from a book by Canadian author and photographer Lorraine Monk, which Canada presented to the United States in 1976 as part of celebrations marking the American Bicentennial. Fifty years later, the exhibit revisits that shared history through photographs and stories from the region. Editor’s Picks The timing also carries particular significance for the Thousand Islands, where the international border is a defining feature of everyday life, while often being less of a barrier to the communities connected by the St. Lawrence River. The library recently highlighted that relationship on its social media, changing its Facebook cover photo to an image featuring Canadian and American flags together ahead of the exhibit’s opening. The opening reception Thursday will feature University of Alberta professor Rob Shields and Susan Smith, author of The First Summer People and editor of Thousand Islands Life. Doors open at 3 p.m., with the formal introduction beginning at 4 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. The exhibit is a partnership between the Gananoque Public Library and the University of Alberta and will remain on display through Nov. 6. Keith Dempsey is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Brockville Recorder and Times. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.